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Development, Fabrication, And In Vitro Characterization Of Coconut Oil Lipidic Nanoparticles, Suneera Adlakha

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nano-delivery systems such as solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) are being actively explored. Drug encapsulation in SLNs helps in improving the drug’s bioavailability and can be used for targeted delivery. We hypothesize that the production of stable SLNs can be achieved using low melting point lipids such as coconut oil (CO). The safety of CO has been demonstrated, and its capacity to dissolve drug molecules has been established. Drug-free solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) were formulated through the utilization of sonication and magnetic stirring as production techniques. Different compositions and process variables that directly influence SLN manufacturing were evaluated with the target …

The Normative Requirement For Shared Decision Making (Sdm) In Healthcare Ethics, Margaret Nornor-Quadjie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Medicine and medical technology started to advance after World War II. During that period, the practice of medicine became technical. A lot began to happen in the biomedical world during the period after WWII that attracted comments, criticisms, and analyses from scholars. Perhaps, the 1947 Doctors’ Trial at the Nuremberg Tribunal and the Nuremberg Code may be said to be the defining moment for bioethics. These events eventually led to, in the United States, the passage of the National Research Act of 1974 that established the Institutional Review Board system and the National Commission for Protection of Human Subjects of …

Role Of The Anti-Viral Immune Response In Neural Cell Modulation And Neurological Sequelae Of Childhood Viral Infections, Yashika Kamte

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Viral infections of the central nervous system (CNS) often result in neurological sequelae and are considered a risk factor for the development of neurological disease. Moreover, the outcomes of a viral infection are largely dependent on the age of the host, with younger hosts developing more profound neuropathology. Perhaps the developing brain coupled with an immature immune system contributes to worse outcomes in the very young. Children suffering from brain infections are more prone to develop enduring neurological impairments even after recovery from the infection. Although majority of the brain growth occurs in utero, neurodevelopment continues throughout the juvenile …

The Effect Of Culture And Society On Postpartum Depression: Impacts Observed In India And America, Roma Agarwal

The Crown: Syracuse Honors Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Staff Council Minutes, Georgia Southern University

Staff Council Meeting Minutes & Agendas

No abstract provided.

Diversity In Post-Brexit Britain: Looking At Its Current State And Future Trends, Camilla Witmer

The Crown: Syracuse Honors Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Dirty Jersey: Geographies Of Contaminated Sites And Race, Ananya Chandra

The Crown: Syracuse Honors Research Journal

No abstract provided.

The Crown, Complete Issue - V1, The Crown

The Crown: Syracuse Honors Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Screening For Uterine Fibroids In Black Women, Winnie N. Kagendo

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: Uterine fibroids are benign growths in the uterine muscle that affect around 70% of women. Black women have a higher risk, with three times the likelihood of developing fibroids compared to other races.

Problem: The issue of uterine fibroids continues to be poorly addressed in healthcare settings. Black women continue to be particularly adversely impacted by this problem. There is a lack of better screening methods, leading to late detection and limited treatment options for those hoping to maintain fertility.

Methods: A quality improvement project was implemented at a primary care clinic in Loma Linda, California, using the Uterine …

Enhancing Mental Health Assessments For Hysterectomy Patients: Implementing A Depression Screening Tool For Healthcare Clinicians, Dede Mihedji

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: Hysterectomies are prevalent in the United States ranging from

5.1 to 5.8 per 1000 women (Harnod et al., 2018). A standardized screening tool for assessing preoperative depression could mitigate the worsening of postoperative depressive symptoms in patients scheduled for a hysterectomy. Local Problem: Currently, there is no standard practice for preoperative depression screening in hysterectomy patients. Studies have identified that a hysterectomy may increase the risk of cardiovascular events, menopause, depression, and other outcomes (Madueke-Laveaux et al., 2022). Methods: To address the gap, clinicians attended a fifteen-minute Zoom course on the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) and its …

Targeting Macrophytes: Increased Water Quality Through Optimized Vegetation Considerations For Constructed Wetlands, Austin Mcbrady

Masters Theses (Archived)

This study of constructed wetland design investigated relationships between macrophyte species selection and planting density for water quality improvement. A lab-scale wetland was compared against a pilot-scale wetland in San Antonio, Texas at Mitchell Lake to measure differences in effluent water quality improvement using three native macrophyte species. Using a novel, two-phase method, a targeting macrophyte was identified from among other species based on its marked capability for improving water quality factors, then was planted in varied majority densities to compare differences in treatment effectiveness. The results of this study showed that this complimentary approach to wetland design displayed significant …

Reconstructing Modis Aerosol Optical Depth And Exploring Dynamic And Influential Factors Of Aod Via Random Forest At The Global Scale, Bin Guo, Zheng Wang, Lin Pei, Xiaowei Zhu, Qiuji Chen, Haojie Wu, Wencai Zhang, Dingming Zhang

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Aerosols pose a significant impact on the atmospheric environment and public health. Aerosol optical depth (AOD) is one of the essential parameters for quantifying aerosols. Currently, existing AOD products suffer from severe pixel value missing issue due to clouds and other interferences globally, which severely affects the accuracy of fine particulate matter estimation and related epidemics researches. At the global scale, this study first adopted population as one of the influencing factors of AOD, and fully considered the effects of humidity, surface pressure, cloud cover, and evapotranspiration on AOD. Meanwhile, the spatiotemporal resolution of meteorological data was promoted to improve …

Professor, Administrator Appointed To Mpha Board Of Directors, Edwin B. Smith

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – Allison Ford-Wade, associate dean of community engagement in the University of Mississippi School of Applied Sciences, has been appointed to the board of directors of the Mississippi Public Health Association.

Improving Preeclampsia Education And Assessment Frequency Among Nurses And Patients With Non-Severe Features In A Postpartum Unit, Monica Heredia

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem: This Quality Improvement project aimed to improve preeclampsia education among Registered Nurses (RNs) and simplify the preeclampsia assessment frequency for patients with non-severe features in the Mother-Baby Postpartum Unit at Hospital Y.

Context: The Quality Improvement project occurred in a 25-bed Mother-Baby Postpartum unit at Hospital Y. The nurse educators at Hospital Y requested that University of San Francisco (USF) nursing students focus on increasing preeclampsia education among nurses and reducing the nursing assessment frequency.

Interventions: Collect quantitative data through observation and hand anonymous questionnaires to the registered nurses and clinical nurse leaders (CNLs) to determine …

Solar-Powered Microgrids In Northern California: An Opportunity For Resilience, Marina Riddle

Master's Projects and Capstones

Planned and unplanned power outages have been increasing in frequency and duration, negatively impacting all public sectors, and threatening public safety. These outages are deadly to those who rely on medical devices. As climate change-fueled extreme weather events (wildfires, earthquakes, storms, etc.) also increase in frequency, our electrical grid must be prepared to bounce back. Microgrids provide necessary redundancy and reliability. Through a novel GIS suitability analysis, based on solar radiation, land use type, local energy demand, distance to transmission lines, distance to roads, and slope, optimal locations for solar-powered microgrids throughout Northern California were determined. The counties of Fresno, …

Measuring Perceived Medical School Stress (Pmss) Scores Among Physician Assistant Students, Ashley Sharp, Anna Worthley

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

Wellness curriculum was introduced at James Madison University’s PA program in 2019. The intervention is student-led by upperclassmen and is two-part, consisting of wellness seminars and peer group discussions with a heavy emphasis on wellbeing, stress reduction, coping strategies and burnout. The aim of seminars and student-led discussions have been to promote mental health awareness and mindfulness practices, so that students experience lower perceived stress and greater life satisfaction. Perceived stress has not been examined among physician assistant students using the Perceived Medical School Stress (PMSS) scale which measures students’ perception of stress over four areas: medical school curriculum and …

Reducing Adverse Event With Single And Double Bundle Acl Reconstruction Techniques, Alicia Hudalla, Caroline Casey

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

Objective: Assess whether athletes or individuals who live an active lifestyle or occupation between the ages of 18-40, who have had an ACL reconstruction done by either single bundle or double bundle repair to compare whether or not double-bundle ACL reconstructive surgery reduce rates of adverse events (re-tear rates, graft failure and laxity) post ACL reconstruction as compared to single-bundle ACL reconstruction. Design: Systemic literature review. Methods: Searches were done in PubMed, utilizing the terms “single bundle vs. double bundle ACL reconstruction.” The following limits and terms were used wrong ligament discussed, systematic reviews or review, not enough participants, 10+ …

Effectiveness Of Trauma Informed Care Implementation, Brooke Harmon, Jessica A. Stanley

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

No abstract provided.

Leak Complications In Laparoscopic Vs Robotic Bariatric Surgery, Kristina Benton, Amy Heung

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

No abstract provided.

Utility Of Bariatric Surgery In The Remission Of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Christine Ercoline, Alyssa Bower, Corinne Singh

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

Objective: Assess whether bariatric surgery is more effective than lifestyle modification and medication in the long-term reduction of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and fasting plasma glucose among obese adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Design: Systematic literature review. Methods: A PubMed search was performed utilizing the terms bariatric surgery, type 2 diabetes and remission. In PubMed the following limits and terms were used: published in the last 10 years, humans, full text, clinical trial, randomized control trial, and English. Results: An analysis of three randomized control trials (RCTs) supports bariatric surgery as a modality to induce the remission of type 2 …

Does Probiotic Supplementation Help Decrease Symptoms In Adults Previously Diagnosed With Major Depressive Disorder?, Alexa Hammock, Hayley Loiselle

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

Objective: To assess the effect of probiotic supplementation on clinical symptoms of major depressive disorder in adults. Design: Systematic literature review. Methods: Searches were performed on PubMed using the terms “adults with depression and probiotics”. The limits on PubMed were set to include randomized control trials, studies on adults, studies done within the last 10 years, studies done on patients that did not have depression, studies that did not use the Beck Depression Inventory, and studies that focused on other conditions. Results: Three studies were found that met search criteria: Reninghaus et al., Schaub et al., and Chahwan et al. …

Is Racial Diversity Important When Applying To Jmu Pa Program?, Gaelyn E Young, Deonte J. Hope

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

The Physician Assistant profession is predominantly female and Caucasian. In order to increase the diversity of the profession at the level of the workforce, it is necessary to examine PA programs' role as the entryway into the profession. To that end, this evaluation aimed at surveying current and future PA students at James Madison University to understand whether racial diversity of both the program's cohort and/or its faculty was a factor in their decision to apply and/or attend the school.

Focused Assessment With Sonography Exams Vs Ct Scan, Anne Kresge, Charlotte Mueller, Briar Tures

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

Blunt trauma is a common reason patients present to the emergency department. Providers must evaluate these patients quickly to get them the correct treatment, especially for intra-abdominal bleeding. Focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST) exams are growing in use to evaluate trauma patients for free fluid in the abdomen. To be valuable to emergency providers, it must be known how FAST exams compare to the gold standard evaluation, computed tomography (CT) scans. Searches were done on Pubmed and Scopus databases using terms “focused assessment with sonography for trauma” and “FAST exam CT blunt abdominal trauma.” Limits were added to …

Feasibility And Measurement Of Bedside Pumping In The Nicu: A Mixed Methods Study, Jessica Gomez

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Abstract

Background: Supporting preterm infants with mother’s own milk (MOM) can improve health outcomes and decrease mortality.¹ Freshly pumped MOM, within four hours of expression, has the highest availability of bioactive components versus stored MOM. However, fresh milk is often not readily available due to the disconnected process of breastfeeding that occurs with preterm infants in the NICU. One convenient solution to improve access to fresh MOM is for the mother to pump at the infant's bedside. This intervention could improve the mother's pumping experience and provide the infant access to fresh MOM.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate …

Lifestyle Behaviors Before And After Diagnosis Of Type 2 Diabetes: Findings From The Nurses’ Health Studies, Amelia E. Roebuck

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Short- and long-term changes in diet or physical activity in relation to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and factors associated with behavior change with adequate inclusion of relevant confounding and effect-modifying variables have been minimally explored. The objective of this research was to examine changes in diet and physical activity following a diagnosis of T2DM and identify sociodemographic, medical, psychosocial, and lifestyle factors associated with changes in dietary or physical activity behaviors. This dissertation utilized two prospective cohorts of U.S. female nurses participating in the Nurses’ Health Study (1976-2016) and Nurses’ Health Study II (1989-2017). Linear mixed effects modeling was …

Usp1 Expression Driven By Ews::Fli1 Dually Promotes Ewing Sarcoma Cell Survival By Mitigating The Replication Stress Response And Stabilizing Survivin, Halle Mallard

Theses & Dissertations

Ewing sarcoma (EWS) is a malignant pediatric bone cancer. EWS express a fusion oncogene resulting from the reciprocal translocation of EWSR1 an ETS transcription factor. In most EWS tumors, this occurs with FLI1, creating the EWS::FLI1 fusion oncogene which encodes an aberrant transcription factor. Independent of its transcriptional activity, EWS::FLI1 deregulates other cellular processes driving oncogenesis. For cases with a single, localized tumor, roughly 80% of patients remain event-free after five years. Disease dissemination is a problem – about 25% of patients have metastatic disease at diagnosis. Long-term survival for these patients is less than 40%. Presently, no second line …

Paper-Based Ratiometric Sensor Array For Pathogenic Bacterial Species Identification, Aayushi Laliwala

Theses & Dissertations

Bacterial infections are the leading cause of mortality worldwide due to the lack of accurate diagnosis of the pathogens causing infections. Currently, microbiological and molecular techniques are used to identify pathogenic bacteria. However, these techniques have limitations as they are time-consuming, cost-inefficient, and require trained personnel. Therefore, timely and precise identification of pathogenic bacteria is crucial for public safety. Our lab previously synthesized a fluorescent sensor array (3-hydroxyflavone derivatives) encapsulated in hyaluronic acid-based nanoparticles to identify bacterial species and recognize their Gram status. Though promising, this technique was relatively time-consuming and required high sample and volumes.

To overcome these limitations, …

Cardiac Vagal Dysfunction And Ventricular Arrhythmogenesis In Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus After Myocardial Infarction, Dongze Zhang

Theses & Dissertations

Diabetes is the eighth leading cause of death in the United States. Every eight seconds a person dies from diabetes around the world. Among various types of diabetes, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is the most common form, representing 90% to 95% of all diabetes populations. The leading cause of mortality and morbidity in T2DM patients is cardiovascular disease, among which acute myocardial infarction (MI)-induced ventricular arrhythmia is the major cause of death in T2DM. Patients with T2DM are two to four times more likely to die from MI than non-diabetic patients. Although well-known therapies including better glycemic control have …

Feasibility Of A Laboratory Model For Evaluating The Use Of An Alternative Response Option In Mitigating Caregiver Treatment Integrity Errors, Jessie K. Weber

Theses & Dissertations

The current study assessed the feasibility of a laboratory model designed to evaluate options for mitigating common caregiver errors in the implementation of destructive behavior treatment. We developed a computer-based analogue to caregiver implementation of extinction for attention-maintained destructive behavior; the model included contingencies on both caregiver errors of commission and adherence to the treatment protocol. We also conducted a preliminary investigation of the effects of participant access to alternative activities as a potential strategy for mitigating integrity errors. Participants included 14 MTurk workers or staff in a severe behavior clinic, and individual response patterns revealed distinct sensitivities to the …

The Effect Of Non-Immersive Virtual Reality Radiographic Positioning Simulation On First-Year Radiography Students' Image Evaluation Of Routine Positioning Errors, Ellie M. Miller

Theses & Dissertations

Optimal radiographic image quality is critical because it affects the accuracy of the radiologist’s interpretation. Radiologic technologists are obligated to obtain diagnostic images while minimizing patient radiation. However, repeated images due to technologist error have increased in recent years. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of non-immersive virtual reality (VR) simulation on first-year students’ image evaluation of common positioning errors on routine knee and lumbar spine protocols. Research questions were 1) Does guided instruction using non-immersive radiographic positioning simulation software lead to improved image evaluation scores? 2) How well do participants describe evaluation of positioning errors after guided instruction …